Image processing for improving coagulation and flocculation

Abstract

A flocculation control system that floats particles that attach to nano and/or micro bubbles out of a liquid includes at least one sensing system, at least one processing system, and at least one fluid additive control system. The at least one sensing system is configured to reproduce one or more nano-bubbles with one or more particles suspended in a fluid. The at least one processing system is configured to measure, using outputs of the at least one sensing system, incident angles between the one or more nano-bubbles and the one or more particles suspended in the fluid. And the at least one fluid additive control system is configured to adjust, based on at least the incident angles, an amount of a surfactant being added to the fluid.

We claim: 
     
       1. A flocculation control system comprising:
 at least one sensing system configured to reproduce one or more nano-bubbles with one or more particles suspended in a fluid; 
 at least one processing system configured to measure, using outputs of the at least one sensing system, incident angles between the one or more nano-bubbles and the one or more particles suspended in the fluid; and 
 at least one fluid additive control system configured to adjust, based on at least the incident angles, an amount of a surfactant being added to the fluid. 
 
     
     
       2. The flocculation control system according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one fluid additive control system is configured to select a type of the surfactant being added to the fluid, based on at least the incident angles. 
     
     
       3. The flocculation control system according to  claim 1 , further comprising at least one of:
 a computer readable memory coupled to the at least one processing system, in which the at least one processing system is configured to store in the computer readable memory an association between the one or more nano-bubbles, the one or more particles, the incident angles, and the amount and type of the surfactant; and 
 a graphical display coupled to the at least one processing system, in which the at least one processing system is configured to drive the graphical display to illustrate the one or more nano-bubbles, the one or more particles, and the incident angles therebetween, for different amounts of the surfactant being added to the fluid by the at least one fluid additive control system. 
 
     
     
       4. The flocculation control system according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one processing system is further configured to determine using the outputs of the at least one sensing system number and distribution of capillary gas bridges throughout the fluid, wherein the capillary gas bridges are characterized by two or more of the particles attached to one another via one or more of the nano-bubbles. 
     
     
       5. The flocculation control system according to  claim 4 , wherein the at least one fluid additive control system is configured to adjust the amount of the surfactant being added to the fluid:
 so as to increase formation of capillary gas bridges between two or more of the particles that are attached to one another via one or more of the nano-bubbles, and 
 to decrease formation of flocs of two or more of the particles being held together by the surfactant in the absence of any nano-bubble. 
 
     
     
       6. The flocculation control system according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one processing system is further configured to measure, using the outputs of the at least one sensing system and for a given pair of the particles connected to one another via a common one of the nano-bubbles, at least four gas-side contact angles measured in at least three perpendicular directions. 
     
     
       7. The flocculation control system according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one fluid additive control system is configured to adjust characteristics of new nano-bubbles injected into the fluid based at least on the incident angles, size of the one or more nano-bubbles and size of the one or more particles. 
     
     
       8. The flocculation control system according to  claim 7 , wherein the characteristics of the new nano-bubbles injected into the fluid that are adjusted comprise size of the new nano-bubbles and rate of new nano-bubble injection relative to volume of the fluid, and the characteristics are adjusted so as to optimize formation of flocs of multiple particles bound to one another via one or more capillary bridges defined by one or more of the new nano-bubbles.